The NBA announced 2025 All-Defensive teams, and actually got it right

Victor Wembanyama was a lock to win the 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award before a blood clot was revealed in his right shoulder that ended his season in Feb. Wembanyama failed to meet the 65-game minimum for award eligibility, opening up a race that felt like it had a ton of legitimate candidates. While Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley ended up winning the award for the league’s top defensive player, the competition for the NBA All-Defensive teams was just as interesting with so many qualified candidates.

The NBA finally revealed its All-Defensive teams for the 2024-25 season on Thursday afternoon, and for the most part the league got it right. Mobley headlines the five-man First-Team lineup, and he’s flanked by two other young players in Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels and Houston Rockets’ guard Amen Thompson. Oklahoma City Thunder wing Lu Dort earned the first All-Defensive team nod of his career, which feels long overdue. Draymond Green rounds up the ground with the fourth First-Team All-Defense selection of his career.

Here’s the full First-Team All-Defense group for this NBA season.

It’s harder to measure defense than offense in the NBA, and because of that the All-Defensive teams usually feel like they miss the mark on one or two players. Not this year: Daniels, Dort, Green, Mobley, and Thompson are all highly deserving of the honor.

My own Defensive Player of the Year vote (I don’t actually have a ballot) went to Clippers big man Ivica Zubac. Zubac headlines the Second-Team All-Defensive group alongside Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara, Thunder wing Jalen Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, and Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr.

Once again, all are deserving candidates.

I correctly predicted all 10 players who made the All-Defensive Teams on my fake ballot. The only thing I missed was having Zubac on the First-Team and Dort on the Second-Team. Overall, the NBA did a great job with these selections, and it shows just how many bright young defensive players are in the league right now.

Wembanyama will have his time as the league’s next great defensive player, as long as he can stay healthy. Bigs still have greater defensive impact than guards thanks to their rim protection and ability to end possessions with a rebound, but it’s cool to see so many perimeter defenders on this list.